Braking torque control system

A system for controlling a torque developed by a fluid pressure actuated brake as it slows a rolling wheel that is adapted to operate in parallel with an antiskid brake control system, comprising:

• (a) means for producing a signal indicative of the magnitude of an operator applied braking force;
• (b) means for sensing the torque developed by the brake as it slows the rolling wheel and for producing a signal indicative of that torque;
• (c) pressure reducing means associated with the antiskid brake control system, for reducing the pressure of the fluid actuating the brake in response to a control signal, the antiskid brake control system producing a first such control signal as a function of wheel speed to prevent the wheel locking and skidding;
• and
• (d) control means, connected to and responsive to both the signal indicative of the magnitude of the operator applied braking force and the signal indicative of the torque developed by the brake, for producing a second control signal independent of rolling wheel speed, that is input to the pressure reducing means in parallel with the first control signal, to reduce the fluid pressure actuating the brake if the torque developed by the brake exceeds a value determined as a function of the magnitude of the operator applied braking force, the pressure reducing means responding to the greater of the first and second control signals to reduce the pressure of the fluid actuating the brake accordingly.

A system for controlling a torque developed by a fluid pressure actuated brake applied to slow a rolling wheel, the system comprising:

• (a) operator controlled means for developing a fluid pressure in a brake line connected to actuate the brake;
• (b) means for sensing the fluid pressure developed in the brake line by the operator controlled means;
• (c) means for sensing the torque developed by the brake as it reacts against a supporting member to slow the speed of the rolling wheel;
• (d) a valve disposed in the brake line, intermediate the means for sensing the fluid pressure and the brake, and operative to reduce the pressure of fluid applied to actuate the brake;
• (e) valve control means connected to the means for sensing pressure and the means for sensing torque for controlling the valve, the valve control means including a central processing unit having a memory in which is stored both a control program and a schedule of torque values that are accessed by the central processing unit in accordance with the control program, each scheduled torque value corresponding to a predetermined range of fluid pressure in the brake line, the control means being operative to cause the valve to reduce the fluid pressure applied to the brake if the torque developed by the brake exceeds the scheduled torque corresponding to the fluid pressure developed in the brake line by the operator controlled means, independent of the rolling speed of the wheel.

A method for controlling a torque developed by a fluid pressure actuated brake as it slows a rolling wheel, comprising the steps of:

• (a) producing a signal indicative of the magnitude of an operator applied braking force;
• (b) sensing the torque developed by the brake as it slows the rolling wheel and producing a signal indicative of that torque;
• and
• (c) independent of the wheel rolling speed, reducing the fluid pressure actuating the brake if the torque developed by the brake exceeds a value determined as a function of the magnitude of the operator applied braking force.